Hello all, I just bought a 2003 Beneteau 411 Special Edition in late August. It is berthed at Marina Del Rey, CA. On seatrial, we noticed a high pitched noise in the drive train that begins around 1400rpm, peaks at 1600 and dies off at 1800. The noise only occurs when the boat is lightly loaded underway "at speed". It will not occur when the transmission is under heavy load as when starting from a stopped position. The broker thought the noise might be coming from the cutlass bearing. The surveyor said "maybe". At haulout, the surveyor found a bad cutlass bearing. The owner agreed to replace it. I insisted in a later email to the broker that while the noise may have been coming from the cutlass bearing, the noise had to be corrected as a condition of purchase. I live in Arizona. The boat is in California. I relied on the broker's assurance that the noise was fixed. Well, as you can imagine, the noise is still there. A mechanic recommended by the broker inspected the drive train last week and determined that the transmission is shot. It is a Kanzaki Tuff Torq Model KBW20-1 coupled to a 56HP Yanmar. The Yanmar shows only 420 hours on the meter. The mechanic drew a small amount of fluid from the transmission. The fluid was black, opaque and smelled of carbon -- evidence that points to overheating and probably burnt clutches. I'm guessing the noise itself is coming from a burnt bearing. Additionally, the prop shaft turns slowly in reverse when the transmission is in neutral. I'm working now to try to get the previous owner to ante up and fix this problem, but I'm not holding out a lot of hope. So here are my questions. Has anyone had a similar experience with this transmission? It seems like a very low number hours for the transmission to have gone bad. There is no evidence of a leak, either current or past. Does anyone have any recommendation or experience, as an owner, with rebuilding these? Can I buy a rebuilt transmission from a supplier like I would buy a rebuilt carb from an auto supply store and then send back the core? How much should this cost to rebuild this transmission? What should be the customary warranty period and terms for a rebuilt marine transmission? Does anyone have a recommendation for a certified and reputable rebuilder in Southern California? Thanks for the help. Dan Berkey S/V Corvette Beneteau 411 SE
